Just one of his thousand sleeping positions:

Every time we check on Finn he has a different binky in his mouth and is in a different position. This one makes it look like he reeeeally likes his crib bumper.

It's All About the Family

The Harker Fam left to right: Stacie, Mom, Dad, Brittany, Dustin, Andrea, Tom, Megan, Moi on the steps of the Arrow Wood Cabin
We recently returned from a Harker family reunion in Idaho -- what a blast! There was about 80 people there and we all stayed in 3 cabins in Island Park. This was a serious upgrade since we usually tent it and we had a great time! All of my siblings were there which was a treat because getting all seven of us together takes serious effort. During our 3 night/2 day stay we went to Yellowstone Park, played lots of games and cards, played softball, relaxed in the hot tub and bonded with the fam through it all!
Here are some nature shots from Yellowstone:Aaron and Finn near a river where we ate lunch. Note Finn's "Harker" onesie...thanks mom!
Aah, wildlife. We saw tons of elk, deer, squirrels and coyotes, but none of da bears. Finn was such a champ and was good the whole day! Here's hopin' those two front teeth grow closer together! Some of the fam at "Artist's Point". This canyon/waterfall is really amazing.

Aaron and I went to "The Brink" where you can stand next to the water as it goes over the falls...this picture doesn't do it justice, it was really cool. Finn's cousin Taj next to one of the hot pots. (Something smudgy got on my camera lens)

While we were walking along the boardwalk, Finn was riding on Aaron's shoulders (one of his FAVORITE things) and kept pointing to him while saying "Dada". We tried to capture it on video:

And what would a trip to Yellowstone be without checking out Old Faithful? In this video, you can see that the water is so hot it turns to vapor almost instantly. Seriously, the earth has some crazy tricks up its sleeve.

Here is most of the clan after an invigorating softball game. Aaron had the best hit of the bunch!

Other highlites included nightly campfires, a stellar talent show and surprise bridal shower for my cousin Sheree. Thanks mom and dad for planning such a fantastic event!

A Letter to Nana Lana from Finn

Dear Nana Lana:

Daa Daa, Daa Daa, Daa Daa, Daa Daa. Goo Goo Gaa Gaa Daa Daa Daa Daa.

Love, Finn

ps: Aeh!

Basically, Finn was just trying to express how much he loves his Nana Lana. Lana (Aaron's Step-mom) has been here for the past week and we all had a great time visiting with her. I couldn't get any good pictures of her with Finn because Finn just wasn't in the mood to perform, but he enjoyed her visit all the same. Wish we could see her and Grandpa Parks more!

Finn loves to say 'aeh'

I think this video speaks for itself:

...But since I'm going to be printing this page, I'll just say that Finn is always saying 'aeh' and will do it on command 90% of the time. If we say 'aeh' he says it right back, always with a smile.

A Fabulous Fourth!

This year's 4th of July started at 7am with a 5K (Provo's Annual "Freedom Run.") I ran it with 3 of my sisters. We wore our free t-shirts and matching pink arm bands. This was my first 5K and it was actually really fun. There were tons of people lined up for the upcoming parade that cheered us on to the end. I placed 30th out of 4000 runners so I was really proud of myself. OK, OK, I placed 30th in my age group, and 550th overall...almost the same...right?! Here is a shot of my sister Andrea and I right after the run:

Next I headed off to the parade with my siblings. (Aaron stayed home while Finn took a nap.)Here are a couple pics of my favorite floats:
Only in Utah. Yes, that is a bride and a model of the Timpanogos Temple. I can't remember exactly what those signs said but it was something like "Stop: to read your scriptures" and "Yield: to the spirit" etc. Classic.
This float had a giant version of the Declaration of Independence alongside flags and fireworks.

Later on, we went to my sister Megan's house for a BBQ.

Our little family

The fam enjoying some food in Megan's backyard
Finn found Megan's piano and couldn't get enough! He had to stand on his tippy toes just to reach the keys but was so excited by his discovery that he could have played for hours!

Once outside, I introduced Finn to this toy car and he loved it! (That is his cousin Brody enjoying some watermelon off to the side)

And after the BBQ? Our own personal fireworks show of course! Aaron made a special trip to Evanston, WY this year to buy fireworks just for the occasion. He is like a kid in a candy store when it comes to buying/lighting off fireworks. And yes, it is true that during the off-season he occasionally sets some off of our balcony just to relieve stress.

I love this picture because you can still see the smoke from the firework going off, and the boys are just watching it go.

Here is one of the bigger fireworks Aaron bought:


Several neighbors came out to watch the show and we all had a great time! I am so grateful to live in this wonderful country. I love Canada too (and had a marvelous Canada Day on July 1st) and just feel so lucky to have lived in two countries where I can be truly free. Happy Independence Day!